LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Once upon a time, the halftime show belonged to marching bands and pageantry. But these days, it belongs to global pop stars, cinematic production and moments that ripple beyond the stadium.
Over the years, the league鈥檚 brief intermission has transformed into one of entertainment鈥檚 biggest stages, hosting era-defining performances from Prince in the rain to record-setting return, tightly choreographed showcase and layered, visually driven storytelling.
What began as intermission filler has evolved into a global spectacle, rivaling the NFL’s championship game itself for attention from more than 100 million viewers worldwide.
That evolution continues this year as prepares to take the placing at the center of America鈥檚 most-watched television event.
鈥淭he halftime performance has come a long way,鈥� said the Hall of Fame quarterback who played 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and competed in the 1985 Super Bowl. As an NFL analyst, Marino鈥檚 had a front-row seat to several halftime shows.
鈥淣ot a lot of people really watched it,鈥� he continued. 鈥淏ut now, people love to watch the halftime show.鈥�
That shift did not happen overnight. For decades, the halftime show reflected the NFL鈥檚 family-friendly image, built around marching bands, drill teams and patriotic spectacle. As the Super Bowl grew into an unofficial national holiday 鈥� and a global broadcast event 鈥� the league began rethinking the power of those 12 to 15 minutes, gradually turning the break into a cultural platform capable of launching careers, shaping narratives and, at times, sparking national conversation.
Last year, Lamar used the halftime stage as a narrative space, weaving choreography, costuming and staging to explore themes of identity, power and perception. The performance stayed within league parameters while still drawing broad interpretation and debate over its imagery and tone.
Lamar’s show became the most-watched halftime performance on record, drawing roughly 133.5 million viewers, surpassing 鲍蝉丑别谤鈥檚 2024 performance, which reached about 129.3 million. That number from Lamar’s set is about six million more than Fox’s broadcast of the .
鈥淚 think the live element is pretty exciting for people because it鈥檚 a massive production and there鈥檚 so many moving pieces,鈥� said actor , who doesn鈥檛 consider herself a football enthusiast. But she鈥檚 intrigued by the unpredictability of the halftime show like and infamous 鈥渨ardrobe malfunction,鈥� Lady Gaga dropping from a stadium roof and .
鈥淵ou kind of watch with nervous excitement,鈥� Johansson said. 鈥淵ou know at any moment something could maybe go wrong. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so fun to watch it because you鈥檝e got all this anticipation. The production is so huge and so many people have come together to create this one moment. It鈥檚 kind of awesome.鈥�
agrees, calling the halftime show a 鈥済iant surprise.鈥�
鈥淭he production level and how quickly they put it together as they鈥檙e breaking into commercial and come back with this fabulous, epic show,鈥� said Jenner, the matriarch of 鈥淭he Kardashians鈥� reality television show. 鈥淭hrough all the years and technology, it gets better and better. It鈥檚 so exciting to watch and see what they come up with next and who is going to perform. It鈥檚 such a big deal.鈥�
Usher said with the Black Eyed Peas during the 2011 Super Bowl taught him not to 鈥渢ake the moments for granted because you only get 13 of them.鈥�
His show in 2024 was vastly different from the NFL鈥檚 first Super Bowl halftime show in 1967, which featured marching bands from the University of Arizona and Grambling State University, a historically Black college, along with hundreds of flying pigeons, thousands of balloons and two soaring men wearing jetpacks.
After the inaugural Super Bowl, the NFL kept bringing back other marching bands, drill teams, signed Chubby Checker and Up with People, an organization that stage positive thinking through dance and song performances. However, none of those acts were considered huge draws.
But as the Super Bowl鈥檚 popularity soared and game day emerged as an unofficial holiday in the U.S., the NFL wanted the halftime show to grow in the same capacity. The league tapped New Kids on the Block and the first two years of the 鈥�90s. Then it saw a huge breakthrough when headlined the 1993 show at the Rose Bowl in Southern California, where the King of Pop notoriously moonwalked across the stage and performed hits including 鈥淏illie Jean,鈥� 鈥淏lack or White鈥� and 鈥淗eal the World.鈥�
Jackson鈥檚 stellar performance opened the door for other stars like the , Diana Ross, and who are eager to perform.
The NFL handles production costs and expenses for performers 鈥� who don鈥檛 get paid 鈥� but the exposure to hundreds of millions of people worldwide is considered priceless.
Some notable examples include U2鈥檚 remembrance of the 9/11 victims; Beyonc茅鈥檚 through her Black power anthem 鈥淔ormation鈥�; and the first show to feature hip-hop artists led by in 2022.
Snoop praised NFL commissioner and for pushing the halftime show forward. The league worked with Roc Nation to help its , created by the NFL after an agreement with a coalition of players who demonstrated during the national anthem to protest social and racial injustice in this country.
鈥淪hout out to Jay-Z for changing the climate. Roger Goodell for giving him an opportunity,鈥� Dogg said. 鈥淭his is music. The music that dictates the world is what鈥檚 performing at halftime now. They鈥檙e starting to understand that it鈥檚 about what those players want to hear, what those fans want to hear, and what鈥檚 universally effective.
Snoop added: 鈥淚t has no color on it now. Pop used to have a color on it. Now pop is popular. So, the most popular music is the music that we make. It makes sense to put those people on there that make that music.鈥�
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This story first moved in January 2024 and has been updated ahead of the 2026 Super Bowl.
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